Through An 'Old Timer's' Eyes
By Howard 'Mac' McDonald

Our nation is rich in history. Just about everywhere you go, there is a historic marker.

On the east end of Emporium, where Pa. Rt. 155 begins, marker notes the Allegheny Portage.

Few people probably are aware of this site, which began the 23-mile crossing from the Susquehanna West Branch to the Allegheny River.

The pioneers and the Indians traveled north to the Portage Creek. When they reached the Allegheny River at Port Allegany, they resumed their travel by canoe.

U.S. Rt. 6 has several markers designating this highway as the "Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Highway. This honors the soldiers who defended the Union during the Civil War.

On the battlefield at Gettysburg are several markers that tell where important skirmishes took place.

Valley Forge, where General George Washington and his Continental Army wintered, is another place where there are markers everywhere. Walking around there is like turning the pages in a history book.

Pennsylvania is dotted with many state parks. We are so very fortunate, as just about everything in them is free. Most state parks have some interesting history.

Ole Bull State Park has a very interesting background. It's named after the Norwegian musician who helped settle that area.

Tom Mix, who was born in Mix Run (Cameron County) and became a famous wild west movie star, has a marker along the highway in Arizona where he was killed.

At Four Corners, there's a marker where you can lay each foot in a different state and your arms in two other states. You can be in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah at the same time.

Today I got a post card from a Kool Aid-drinking friend who reads my column. She agreed with me as to what the big companies are doing to this country.

What really floored me was when she wrote that Kool Aid is now made in Mexico. Whenever I have a cold, I always reach for the Vicks Vapo Rub, and she also broke my bubble by telling me that Vicks is also made in Mexico.

Two icons now made south of the border; what is this country coming to?

One of the hardest things you will do today is to try and follow the slogan, "Buy American." I am really hung up on this subject, as I remember that the Japanese murdered around 10,000 American GIs on the Bataan Death March.

German cars don't turn me on, either. I cannot forget that Hitler tried to eliminate a whole race of people. Some people say that the foreign

products are better

than American, but some of that is bunk. We whipped both of those countries in WWII with our American made goods.

For those who worry that we will some day have to go to war with China, take comfort: they would have no one to sell their products to. Besides, what would happen to Wal-Mart, which is a giant importer of Chinese goods?

Tonight I saw a report about the American embassy that is being built in Baghdad at a cost of $550 million. Why would we build something like that in a country that is in such turmoil? Not in my lifetime will I ever see this mess that we created over there come to a rational conclusion.

Old Osama bin Laden is still on the loose and laughing every day about how he has outsmarted the United States. Sure makes you wonder about our leadership. His capture should have been where we put our efforts, not on that pipsqueak Saddam.

Think what you want about the war, but always support the troops, as they didn't cause this boondoggle.